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"Hey, Jin! Are you excited?"

"Huh?" Jin turned his head from the school front to see his girlfriend, Shiori, standing behind him. "Excited? What do you mean?"

Shiori laughed. "What do you think I mean?" she asked. "The end of the term, obviously! Just one more day, and we'll be done for the spring! Then we'll be on summer break for the next couple of months! Aren't you looking forward to it?" She stepped in front of him, her smile quickly falling when she noticed the sullen expression on his face. "Hey, are you okay? You look really upset about something."

"I..." Jin shook his head. "I'm sorry. It's not something I should talk about. It's... an extremely personal matter." He quickly tried to push past her, rushing towards the front of the school. "I need to get to my homeroom right now. I can't afford to be late for this final."

"What? Hey, wait!" Shiori immediately ran back in front of Jin. "What's going on? I've never seen you like this before." It was true: Shiori had been dating Jin for almost a year now, and she'd never seen him this upset. In fact, he was usually incredibly cheerful, especially when he was with her. He struck Shiori as one of those unflappably optimistic people, the kind who could put a positive spin on any kind of bad situation. Coming from him, this kind of sadness was practically unheard of. "You can talk to me about anything, you know," she said, desperately trying to get some answers from him. "You know I would never judge you for anything, right?"

"Yes, I know. But..." He sighed. "It's... really complicated. See, my parents and I have been disagreeing on a lot of things lately, and... we kinda had a really big falling out last night."

"...Oh. I see." Shiori nodded. She'd never actually met Jin's parents before, but she'd heard him talk about them quite a bit. From what she heard, there had been a lot of friction developing between them over the past few months. Apparently there were some big family traditions he didn't agree with that they'd been trying to force upon him, though he'd never specified to her exactly what those traditions were. She'd always wondered if maybe that was the reason he always seemed so cheerful when she was with him, since he enjoyed being around her far more than being around his family. "What was it this time? They still trying to get you to do stuff that you don't want?"

Jin nodded "Yeah. And now they've..." He suddenly shook his head. "Look, I really shouldn't be talking about this. It... really isn't something I can discuss with other people."

"What? Why not?" Now Shiori was starting to get nervous. What could have happened that was so bad that Jin couldn't even bring himself to talk about it? "What did they do to you? Please tell me! I might be able to help!"

"No, you can't!" yelled Jin, startling Shiori. Upon seeing her shocked expression, he quickly recoiled. "I... I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "But I really don't think you can help me unless..." he suddenly trailed off, looking like he was lost in thought. "Unless... would that work? No, it couldn't work... could it?"

"Um... would what work?" asked Shiori, still not entirely over the shock of having Jin shout at her. "Is there something I can do? What are you thinking?"

Before Jin could answer, the class bell suddenly rang. "Oh... I'm really sorry," he said. "I... need more time to consider this. I'll get back to you when the school day is over, okay?" Without waiting for her to answer, he quickly took off towards the school entrance. Feeling confused, but not wanting to be late herself, Shiori followed him inside, making her way to her own homeroom.

As Shiori tried to concentrate on her exams, thoughts of Jin's situation kept flashing through her mind. What was going on with him, anyway? She'd never seen him act like this before. In just a day, he'd gone from being happy and cheerful to not wanting to talk to her at all and yelling at her when she tried to find out what was wrong! Although... now that she thought about it, she realized that this wasn't really the first time he'd ever been vague about his personal life. He'd often talk about his bad relationship with his parents, but he'd quickly dodge any specific questions she asked him too. Whenever she asked what his house was like, or what he did when he wasn't at school, he'd be quick to throw out a vague non-answer instead of simply answering the question straightforwardly. In fact, Shiori was quickly realizing that she didn't know anything about what Jin did outside of school. He never seemed interested in any types of extracurricular activities, and she never saw him around town either. Even when she offered to take him somewhere, he usually declined, saying that his parents would be mad at him if he didn't go straight home. She knew they were strict, but... was it really so bad that he couldn't spend at least a little time away from home after school? She couldn't even contact him through texting or anything, since he apparently didn't actually have a phone or anything with internet connection. His parents didn't like technology, he'd explained, so they'd never let him have any of those things.

The more Shiori thought about it, the sadder it made her feel. She'd known Jin since the beginning of the year, when he'd first arrived at Japan's Hanegawa High School. She recalled that he'd seemed particularly lost when she first saw him: he had trouble navigating the school, seemed incredibly nervous when talking to other people, and looked confused whenever anyone gave him even the most basic advice. So, feeling bad for him, Shiori decided to step in and help him out. She'd helped him get around the school, given him advice about talking to others, and even helped him whenever he had trouble with the schoolwork (which was often.) Of course, working with him wasn't exactly easy given his overwhelming shyness, but Shiori was determined to succeed. And sure enough, the more time she spent with him, the more she saw his nervousness begin to melt away, as he became the cheerful, optimistic boy she knew him as today. Though he always seemed to be at his happiness when he was with her, she noticed. So she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised when he attempted to ask her out just a few weeks after they'd met. Not that she particularly minded, of course: she'd never been romantically involved before, and she'd found herself developing close feelings for him herself. And so, their romantic relationship began, despite all the unanswered questions Shiori still had about him. Questions that Shiori worried were going to come back to haunt them now.

As the day's finals drew to a close, Shiori slowly wandered back to her classroom, still lost in thought. She hadn't seen Jin at all since that morning, and she was still very confused as to what was going through his mind. She'd even tried to find him during exam breaks to try and get some more information from him, but he was nowhere to be found. Was he trying to avoid her? Or was she just being paranoid? At this point, she couldn't even tell anymore. She'd even tried going to his classroom right after exams ended to find him, but he was already gone by the time she got there. Dejected, she walked back into her classroom, opening her desk with a heavy sigh. She desperately wanted to help him, but how was she supposed to do that when she couldn't even talk to him? With no way of contacting him after school ended, she was becoming more and more worried that she was going to go her entire summer without ever hearing from him, and that his issue with his parents was going to go completely unresolved. And if that happened, these next couple of months were going to be hell for him, assuming his parents continued to try and prevent him from leaving his house. If only there was something she could do...

As she opened her desk, she suddenly saw a scrap of paper just lying there inside. She frowned. Where had that come from? She'd just cleaned out her desk, so there shouldn't have been any loose papers in there. But when she picked it up, she saw that it wasn't just any piece of paper: it was a letter, addressed to her. "Dear Shiori," she read. "I have something I need to tell you about myself. Meet me at the Hilltop Shrine right after school ends so that we can discuss in private. I'll be waiting there, so don't be late. Sincerely, Jin." Upon reading this, her mind flooded with relief. So he wasn't going to leave her in the dark! He was going to tell her what was going on, they could figure out how to resolve his issue, and then everything would be okay! But as she packed her things, her relief slowly began to wash away, replaced by a sense of unease and worry. What did he mean by "tell you something about myself"? What if it meant that they couldn't be together anymore? What if he'd done something horrible to someone and had to leave the school forever now? What if - Shiori quickly shook her head, trying to stop those thoughts from forming. There was no point in worrying, she realized. If it was something really bad, she'd deal with it once she found out. For now, she just need to stay optimistic. That's what Jin would want, right?

So as soon as she was finished at her locker, she quickly ran out into the school's front yard, making a beeline for the woods. She knew about the shrine Jin was referring to, of course, as did pretty much everyone in town. It supposedly had the ability to bring peace and calmness to anyone who visited it, while bringing strength and clarity to their minds as well. This made it a popular place for students to go during finals, either to study or to simply relieve themselves of stress. Of course, now that finals were over it was bound to be almost deserted. Perhaps that's why Jin wanted to meet there, thought Shiori. Or maybe he just wanted his mind to be clear so that he could properly express himself. Either way, it seemed like a pretty fitting place to meet, and Shiori found herself wondering more and more what Jin had in store for her as she made her way there.

Soon enough, the trail Shiori walked upon led into a clearing, where a set of stone steps led up the side of a hill. Taking a deep breath, she quickly began to ascend them, climbing until she reached the top of the hill where the shrine was. By itself, the shrine wasn't much: merely a small structure with an alcove containing a slightly smaller fox statue within. But Shiori had been here before, and she could attest to the calming effect it had on everyone who visited, including herself. Even now, the tranquil atmosphere was starting to calm her nerves. She took another breath and looked down, noticing Jin sitting at the bottom of the steps leading to the structure. "Jin!" she said, running over. "Hey, Jin!"

Jin looked over at her. "Hey, Shiori," he said, smiling. "Good to see you here. I see you managed to get my letter."

"Yep!" said Shiori, sitting down next to him. She was relieved to see him smiling, and she hoped it meant that whatever was troubling him in the morning wasn't bothering him as much now. "So... I'm assuming you've heard the stories about this shrine, then? Have you been here before?"

Jin nodded. "I actually came here shortly after moving into the area," he said. Then he lowered his head. "I remember getting lost in these woods on one of my first days here. I was really worried that I wasn't going to be able to find my parents again and that I'd be lost here forever, but then... I found this shrine. And as I approached it, I just... started feeling calmer. My nerves disappeared, I could think more clearly, and then it just came to me. I remembered how to get home to my parents. So I left." He chuckled. "Actually, now that I think about it, I think that was one of the things that helped me realize that I wanted to stay at the school, instead of following my parents' traditions..."

"Stay at school?" Shiori frowned. "Wait. They wanted you to leave the school as part of their traditions? Is that what you were fighting about last night?"

Jin nodded. "Yep. See, it's sort of a right of passage among our kind. When one of us gets to be about my age, we need to spend about a year living among humans. You know, just so that we understand their culture, how they function, all that stuff. But after the year is done, we're supposed to leave, find new places to live and make mischief and all that." He lowered his head. "But the thing is... I've really enjoyed my time at this school, and I really didn't want to leave. So that's kinda what led to the fight starting."

"Oh. I see," Shiori said with a nod. That would explain why he'd been so upset that morning. But as she processed what she'd just heard, something in her mind clicked. "Wait, hold on. You just said 'living among humans.' Like, implying that you're not a human yourself. Why would you-"

"Oh!" Jin gasped, his eyes widening. "Er... I mean... I meant to say..." He sighed, lowering his head again. "Dammit. Looks like my plan backfired on me. See, the whole reason I wanted to meet at this shrine was so that I wouldn't be as nervous about telling you. But... I guess it worked a bit too well, since I ended up telling you without meaning to." With another sigh, he stood up, running over towards the edge of the hill. "Well, I guess there's no point in delaying it then."

"Jin?" Shiori stood up, confusion setting in again. "What are you-"

Jin held up his hand to stop her. "Just... stay back and watch, okay?" He took a breath, rolling his shoulders back. "Okay," he said under his breath. "Don't get nervous, now." He held out his hands, both of which had suddenly started to... glow? As Shiori watched in disbelief, the glow became brighter and brighter until it climaxed, causing Jin's hands to erupt into bright blue flames. "It's okay, Shiori!" yelled Jin upon noticing Shiori's terrified expression. "This is what's supposed to happen! Just stand back and watch!"

As terrified as she was, Shiori continued to watch as the fire spread up Jin's arms, dissipating from his hands at the same time. But his hands... didn't look normal anymore. In fact, they didn't even look human. The were smaller and covered in black fur, and his fingers had shrunken down into tiny-looking stubs. As the fire dissipated from his arms, Shiori noticed that they too were covered in fur, black on the lower parts and orange on the upper parts. They also appeared to be shifting in terms of bone structure, becoming shorter and more rigid. Soon enough, they didn't even look like regular arms... more like the forelegs of some kind of animal.

The blue fire was now starting to spread across Jin's torso, engulfing his shirt as it covered his body. When it dissipated, though, his shirt had completely vanished, replaced only by even more white and orange fur. Shiori couldn't completely tell, but he seemed significantly smaller than he had been earlier... was he shrinking as well? The flames spread to his waist and down his legs next, covering his pants and causing them to vanish as well. But as they dissipated, something appeared behind Jin that caught Shiori's eye. Something large and bushy, covered in dark orange fur with a white tip. With a shock, Shiori immediately realized what it was: a fox tail. Jin had just grown a fox tail.

The blue fire continued to change Jin's legs, shortening them and forcing him to crouch down. His feet were covered by the rest of his body, but Shiori was sure they were changing to match, his shoes disappearing in favor of proper hind paws. Jin looked up and grinned at her, everything except his head having changed to resemble a fox. But even that was about to change: his head was suddenly engulfed by the flames, bringing about more changes. More white and orange fur sprouted as his face pushed out, stretching into a muzzle. His ears grew and became more pointy, while his nose shrank into little more than a black dot. Shiori could hardly believe her eyes as the flames dissipated for a final time. Where her boyfriend Jin had stood just a moment ago was a creature that was completely indistinguishable from a normal red fox. "Um... Jin?" She said. "What... what just happened?"

"Calm down, Shiori." Shiori gasped as Jin's voice sounded through her head. "Everything is fine. Yes, that fox in front of you is me, and yes, I'm talking to you through telepathy." The fox walked over to where Shiori was, sitting down in front of her. "This is what I wanted to show you."

Feeling slightly faint, Shiori fell back onto the steps of the shrine. "You... but... how..." she stammered, her shock too great to allow her to speak.

"Well, I suppose I should explain that first," said Jin, walking up the steps next to Shiori. "See, I'm what's known as a kitsune. And... well, I guess you could say this is my true form."

"You're a... kitsune?" Shiori had, of course, heard of these creatures: mythical fox spirits that often enjoyed playing pranks on humans. They supposedly possessed a multitude of powers, including the ability to take the shape of a human. But she'd always thought of them as mere legends: she'd never imagined that they actually existed, much less that she'd ever see one in real life! "I... don't believe this..." she said, still in shock.

"Yeah, that's understandable," said Jin with a chuckle. "My parents always told me that humans don't react well to things that challenge their perceptions of reality, and... well, that's pretty accurate from what I've seen." He suddenly gasped, looking straight up at her. "Oh, right! I never finished telling you about what happened with them, did I?"

"Um..." As much as Shiori wanted to deny what had just happened, she realized there was no way she could with the proof sitting right in front of her. So with no other options, she decided to simply roll with it. "So... your parents are kitsune too, I'm assuming?"

"Yeah, that's right. Very traditional ones, at that. By the book to a fault, really." Jin sighed. "Anyway, yeah, that's what we were fighting about. We kitsune are only supposed to spend a year living among humans, but... well, let's just say there were some things that really made me want to stick around that school."

"Oh?" said Shiori. "Like what?"

"Like..." Jin lowered his head, and Shiori thought she saw some pink coloring in the fur on his cheeks. "...Like you, Shiori." He raised his head again, his blushing even more evident now. "I... really like you, Shiori. Like... a lot. When you helped me out with the stuff I felt lost with in those first few weeks, I... guess that just meant a lot to me. And everything we've been through since then..." He closed his eyes, tears running down his muzzle and falling to the ground. "Being at that school with you made me happier than anything in my life ever has. Just the two of us, away from my parents with all their stupid rules and traditions... I loved every second of it. And I loved you just as much. And I knew that if I gave that up, I would probably never be able to find that kind of happiness ever again. So... that's why I fought my parents so hard. I couldn't bear to lose you and move on with my life."

Shiori just sat there in stunned silence, watching the fox in front of her cry his eyes out. "I... wow," she finally said. "I honestly had no idea..."

"But my parents, they... they figured out what was happening really quickly, and... and they got really mad. Kitsune aren't supposed to fall in love with humans when they do these things, because that leads to all sorts of complications and other issues. So they said... they said that I was a disgrace to kitsune everywhere and that... and that they no longer considered me their son. And then... they... they just left. They just left me... alone..." Unable to contain himself any longer, Jin lowered his head to the ground, sobbing as the tears continued pouring down his muzzle.

"Oh my god..." Unsure of what to do, Shiori reached and ran her hand across Jin's head, trying to comfort him. "Jin, I... I'm so sorry. I'm just so sorry that I... I made you lose parents. That must have been really hard for you..."

"I don't care!" The force in Jin's voice was enough to make Shiori recoil. "I don't care about them anymore! If they really care more about their traditions than my happiness, then I don't want them in my life anyway!" Jin took a deep breath before looking up at Shiori. "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout." He sighed. "Look. I love you, okay? And... I'm willing to give up my old life if it means starting a new one with you in it. Although I guess that's assuming you still want to be with me." He looked down at himself before looking up at Shiori again. "I know that I'm not what you thought I was, obviously. But seeing as we've been together for so long, I... I was just kinda hoping you'd be willing to look past that. You know... accept me for who I am and all that. So... would you?"

Shiori was silent for only a moment. Then she grinned. "Oh, Jin," she said. "You haven't changed a bit, have you? Even though you look different, you're still the same old sweetheart that I've known for the past year." She laughed, running her hand across Jin's fur. "Honestly, I'm a bit insulted. We've been dating for a year, so I'd think you'd know me well enough by now to know that I'm not anywhere near shallow enough to end a relationship over something like this."

"R-really?" Jin's ears perked up. "You... you mean it? Even though I'm not actually... you know, human?"

"Of course!" laughed Shiori. "Are you kidding me? Kitsune are awesome! They're one of my favorite mythical creatures ever! Although I guess I can't really call them that anymore now that I know they're real. But still! Being able to actually date a kitsune? How could I possibly say no to that?" She rubbed the top of Jin's head, still chuckling to herself. "In fact... I have to admit, I'm almost kinda jealous of you."

"You're... jealous?" Jin cocked his head to the side. "Why would you be jealous?"

"Isn't it obvious? Having mystical powers, being able to shapeshift... that has to be the coolest thing, right? I mean, it has to be better than just being an ordinary mundane human. I'd honestly love the opportunity to experience being something else, especially something as cool as a kitsune!"

"Well... it's funny you should say that, actually," said Jin. "See... I actually do have another ability I haven't mentioned yet. It's the ability to... change other people, so to speak."

"Change other people?" Shiori frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Essentially, I can use my shapeshifting powers on other people too,' replied Jin. "So... if you really want to experience something else, I could turn you into a fox too. If you want."

"R-really?" said Shiori, a look of unease spreading across her face. "You... you can do that?"

"It'll only be temporary!" said Jin. "I could just as easily turn you back into a human when you're ready. I just thought... well, you might like to share this side of life with me. You know... see what it's like to be a fox, just like I saw what it's like to be a human."

"Um..." Shiori swallowed. She knew she'd said that she'd love to experience being something else, but now that the possibility was actually in front of her, she was feeling hesitant. Anticipatory anxiety welled up within her: how would the transformation play out? Would it hurt or be uncomfortable at all? And what would actually being a fox be like? She had no idea, but the thought of experiencing something so unfamiliar made her feel nervous. Still, she trusted Jin and was fully confident that he would never do anything to hurt her. Besides, she knew she would never forgive herself in the long run if she passed up this kind of opportunity, no matter how nervous it made her. "...Okay." she finally said. "I'll do it. So... what do I do?"

"Just lean down in front of me," said Jin. "Don't worry, I'll take care of the rest."

"Okay..." said Shiori, leaning down and putting her face in front of Jin's. As soon as she did, Jin closed his eyes and leaned in, pressing his nose right up against Shiori's. Startled, Shiori gasped and almost pulled away. Was he trying to... kiss her? She felt her heart race for just a moment, feeling unsure of how to react to this sudden move. But deciding that she trusted him, she chose to embrace it and lean into him, closing her eyes as well. As she felt Jin's soft, wet nose against her own, she noticed a peculiar sensation spreading across her face, like it was being stretched out in front of her. Though she didn't open her eyes, she could feel her nose shrinking into her protruding muzzle, now matching Jin's in both texture and appearance. She ran her tongue across her teeth, feeling how long and sharp they were becoming in the process. Her face felt warmer as the changes spread across it, and she realized that she had started sprouting fur. Her ears stretched to the top of her head, becoming larger and pointy.

Her heart continued pulsing as she continued to embrace Jin, her cheeks feeling flushed even through her new fur. She felt the changed spread down her body, the weight of her clothes disappearing as they vanished. Yet the warmth remained, mostly likely due to the orange and white fur covering her torso in their place. She watched as the flames spread down her arms, causing them to shrink and sprout more orange fur. Meanwhile, black fur sprouted on her hands as her fingers shrank and merged together, rough paw pads forming on her palms as short claws sprouted from her fingertips. Slowly, she lifted one of her new forelegs, trying to get a better feel for how her paws felt. It felt so surreal, so odd... but pretty cool too, she had to admit

Her breathing became heavier had heavier as her nose remained pressed to her boyfriend's, both her heart rate and the changes seeming to speed up even further. She felt her body compact itself, her size becoming smaller to match Jin's. Her skirt disappeared in favor of more fur as her legs shortened and shifted position, allowing her to raise herself up fully on them. She felt her shoes disappear next, her bare feet growing longer as black fur spread across them as well. Her toes merged and grew thicker, toenails grew into short claws, and paw pads grew on the undersides of her feet, completing their transition "Whoa..." she thought lifting one of her back paws. They felt... right. Comfortable, even.

But even as the changes to her legs concluded, even as her loving embrace continued, Shiori could tell that her changes weren't over yet. She could feel something forming behind her, creating a pressure that kept building and building until she could take no more. She yelped out loud, pulling away from Jin as the pressure suddenly released itself, forming into something else: an entire new appendage. She looked back at the orange furred and white-tipped tail, feeling it wag and move under her command. She had a tail. That she could control.

"Arrr..." Flustered, Shiori tried to speak before realizing that she no longer had the capacity to. Remembering that Jin had been speaking to her through telepathy, she quickly switched over to that. "This... this is amazing..." she said, projecting her thoughts towards her boyfriend. Even though thought-speak, she was still barely able to find the words to express herself. She took a step forward, trying to balance herself on all four of her legs. Slowly she walked, getting the hang of controlling her new body. "I... I just..."

"Steady now," said Jin, smiling. "Don't move too much to start. You'll get used to it eventually, don't worry. I know I did, when I first learned to turn into a human." He chuckled. "Trust me, walking upright without a tail is super difficult when you're not used to it. How do you feel?"

"I... I don't even know how to describe it." Shiori laughed. "But I love it! It's so different, but it's so cool, too!" She walked over to Jin, rubbing her face against his. "Thank you so much for this. I... I'm so happy right now."

"I'm glad you enjoy it," said Jin, nuzzling her back. "You know, you look just as beautiful to me as you did as a human. Maybe even more so." He suddenly pulled away from her, turning his attention towards the woods. "Hey... do you want me to show you around the woods for a bit? I've lived here for a while now, so I kinda know my way around it... and it feels a lot different when you're a fox, trust me. What do you say?"

Hearing Jin suggest that excited Shiori like nothing else ever had. "Yeah! I'd love that!" she cried out. "Let's go!" Upon hearing that, Jin quickly took off into the woods, with Shiori following close behind. Exploring the woods as a fox made her feel elated, naturally, but so did spending even more quality time with Jin. And now that she shared his form, she felt even closer to him than ever before. No matter what form they were in, that made her feel happy beyond words.